Press Release: Anthillz announces its new launch to the media

AS ONLINE BUSINESS NETWORKS GROW BY THE MILLIONS, ANTHILLZ.COM ASK NETWORKERS TO THINK SMALL 

By focusing only on professionals’ most trusted colleagues, Anthillz helps its users build tighter networks and stronger reputations.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – September 25, 2008 – Philadelphia-based startup Anthillz.com announced today the launch of its business networking website, designed exclusively for the close and trusted relationships that have the most impact on a professional’s career success.

“We created Anthillz because, as power networkers ambitious about our careers, we found ourselves connecting with the wrong people on networks like LinkedIn,” says CEO Blake Jennelle, referring to the Mountain View, CA-based professional network with over 25 million users.

“It seemed like every day we were responding to requests from people we hardly knew.  Instead, we should have been focusing on the trusted relationships that were actually paying off for us.”

Anthillz encourages professionals to connect only with their most “trusted colleagues,” and it does so with a simple mechanism.  Professionals must write recommendations of each other’s work before they can connect.  These recommendations are then featured on the professionals’ Anthillz profile.

A completed Anthillz profile might have only 20-30 trusted colleagues, reflecting a professional’s most important relationships.  In contrast, a typical network on competing sites might have hundreds of connections, including many people with little or no professional history together.

Anthillz’ focus on peer recommendations also helps its users build an online reputation they can use to market themselves to potential clients and employers.

“If I have 30 contacts on Anthillz, my profile will show 30 detailed recommendations side-by-side, signed by the colleagues who wrote them,” says Jennelle.

“It’s hard for me to think of a more powerful sales tool.”

While Anthillz shares the same goals as other professional networking websites, it approaches these goals with a very different philosophy.

“The bottom line is this: All professional networks exist for the same basic reasons—to create new business opportunities through referrals and introductions, and to help professionals build a reputation in their community.”

“What other networks seem to have forgotten, in their aggressive pursuit of growth, is that hundreds of random connections are not going to help you achieve those goals.  Instead, what matters are the trusted colleagues who are willing to refer you business, introduce you to the right people, and recommend your work to potential clients and employers.”

Jennelle acknowledges that competing with large and well-funded players in this space will not be easy.  He says that what matters to him is not the ultimate size of Anthillz, but the impact it has on online professional networking.

“We figure that in the best case, we’ll create a thriving alternative for professionals like us.  And in the worst case, we’ll inspire the big fish to do a little better themselves.”

About Anthillz (http://www.anthillz.com)

Anthillz is a business network focused exclusively on the trusted business relationships that really matter.  Unlike traditional social and professional networks, Anthillz encourages only trusted connections by requiring users to write recommendations for each other before they can connect.  This emphasis on trusted connections—rather than weak connections and acquaintances—makes Anthillz a more reliable source of recommendations, referrals, and introductions.  Anthillz also adds reputation to the business networking formula.  Anthillz profiles are focused on peer recommendations rather than on a professional’s resume, helping to provide deeper insight into a professional’s image in their community.

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For more information, contact Blake Jennelle at 215-966-6012 or press@anthillz.com.

How to Build a “Firmer Handshake” with Anthillz

Our own Alex Hillman wrote a great blog post about the importance of trusted networking, using the metaphor of a “Firmer Handshake”:

The problem we identified is that most of the “online social networking” being done in business is weak handshakes. Even LinkedIn, while it has testimonials, puts the focus on building huge numbers of connections (hence the 500+ badge). We’re not going to take down LinkedIn, but we certainly can help focus its users on what’s really important.

…

Real social networking takes work, and much more than a business card exchange to be effective in the long term. Just because you gave me your card doesn’t mean I think you’re the best person for the job. In Anthillz, adding someone to your “trusted colleague” network has a barrier to entry: you have to write something about that person. And in order for the connection to be completed, they need to write something back. The system does what it can to enforce a balanced social economy. Over time, it’d be nice to pull back the reins, but I think we need to break some bad social networking habits first.

Read the full post over at Alex’s blog.

Welcome to the new Anthillz

We’re excited to unveil the new Anthillz, the first business network exclusively for trusted professionals.

If you’ve been with us since the beginning, you know that even as we have changed our focus, trust has always been what sets us apart.

Thank you for helping us learn and grow as a company, and for supporting us throughout our evolution.

So without further ado… (drum roll, please)

Check out the new Anthillz.  As always, tell us what you think!